Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen started the debate around the theme of purchasing power. The candidates listed their proposals around fake smiles and accusations of inefficiency.
Main concern of the French according to the surveys, a theme shaken up by the Covid and the war in Ukraine having emerged late in the campaign, purchasing power was the first subject tackled in the debate of the second round of the presidential election. It was Marine Le Pen who was the first to take the floor to present her program with in particular the reduction to 5.5% of VAT on energy, the revaluation of the salaries of caregivers and teachers as well as the single parent allowance. Accusing her opponent of having “abused the vulnerable”, the candidate said she wanted to “give back their money to the French”; or, according to her, between 150 and 200 euros per month and per household. “The art of politics is that of making choices,” she continued, proposing to save “on the expensive, the harmful, and the money that escapes”, without further details. .
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Emmanuel Macron has denied the effectiveness of the measures proposed by Marine Le Pen, opposing the reduction of VAT its energy shield. The president then spoke of his desire to rely on employment. The opportunity for him to carry the first thrust: “In your twenty-two measures, there is not even the word “unemployment” in it, which is striking. So, it’s recognition of a job well done for the past five years, thank you for that”. First example of the false courtesies that marked their exchanges for 20 minutes. Last measure presented by Emmanuel Macron, that of the employee dividend; or the requirement for companies to link employee participation to shareholder dividends.
Read also: The false start of Marine Le Pen before the introduction to the debate between the two rounds
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You are not going to make the salaries, Mrs. Le Pen
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In a technical debate, the two candidates scrapped on the method. Banks, employers, owners “Ask for salaries and don’t care about bonuses”, said Marine Le Pen, referring to these bonuses at the heart of Emmanuel Macron’s program. The latter replied that the salary increase was “a long-term burden” not always bearable for companies, in particular SMEs and VSEs. “You are not going to decide for the employer. You are not going to make the salaries, Mrs. Le Pen”, then launched the Head of State, reproaching the promise of a 10% salary increase; where it would in fact be an incentive for employers, via contributions. “And you won’t do the bounties either! “replied his opponent.
Last stumbling block, that of the European energy market, which Marine Le Pen intends to leave to influence prices and national production. “It’s a huge mistake because we are interconnected, because there are times when we import energy, which we do not produce on French soil and, we need the European market”.